*blows dust off blog**taps microphone* Time, it's a precious and tricksy thing. There's just never enough of it to Do All The Things. Thus, some things fall through the cracks.

(Blogging has been one of those things for me for a while. I'm sorry. I miss you.)

Some things can be let go for a while...but then one day Mount Washmore starts toppling and there's no clean underwear. We try, oh yes we try, to find balance and time to keep up with the important things. But it's challenging, this delicate balancing dance we do on the tightrope of life as a writer (and parent and homeowner and pet herder and friend and human). We're spread thin, we writers. And there's a substantial amount of guilt involved. (amiright?)Feeling guilty is poopy. So I'm ditching guilt.To that end I've joined up withAlison Miller, Jaime Morrow,Katy Upperman (and friends) and their summer writing soirée they call Ready. Set. WRITE!(detailed explanation HERE) The basic gist is to write all summer and post some details of your progress on Wednesdays. It's not too late to join (I'm late to the party, in fact).

This is great for me because even though I'm already writing daily, this motivates me and holds me accountable to blogging every Wednesday. Plus, I really like the people involved and look forward to cheering them (and you!) on every Wednesday. #win

And aside from Ready Set Write, I have some other exciting things to share with you over the next few days and weeks! Okay, here we go:What I'm Reading: I just finished THE SNOW CHILD by Eowyn Ivey. It's a fairytale retelling (of a lesser known Russian fairytale) set in frigid 1920's Alaska. It's atmospheric and rather sad.

I love the cover art.

What I'm Writing: I'm working on revisions on two projects (both upper YA, both magical realism; one with a southern gothic vibe told backwards, structurally) and as reward I'm also (sneakily) drafting a SNI. I'm not a plotter, so I'm not exactly sure where it's going yet, but it's very different from my usual style. It started with a snapshot vision of scene...a very grisly scene, and I'm just rolling with it. My goal is to completely finish revisions on one of the projects by mid-August, and the other by mid-Sept. (not sure what my goal is for the SNI. We'll see.)What Else I've Been Up To: My daughter finished her junior year of high school; she is now officially a senior! *hyperventilates* *dies* (guys, I JUST took her to her first day of kindergarten...where I sobbed watching her walk into her classroom with her little backpack. Like I said, time is a tricksy thing. It flies.) (Except when you're at the DMV.) We've been taking her to visit colleges. In fact, today, Wednesday, she is having daddy-daughter time and they're visiting his alma mater (Rutgers) and taking the tour. And then we're off to the shore for the long holiday weekend...and plenty of these:

What's Inspiring Me Now: To get an idea of the many things that inspire me, my Pinterest boards give a rather varied account of the music, poetry, literature, art and imagery that moves me. Aside from the things you might find there, I also find travel highly inspirational (of course there's boards of that too).

But music always his me in the feels, and is often my cornerstone for w solid writing session. Music gets me in the mood, almost method acting-style, to write a particular scene. For the Southern Gothic/Backwards Book revisions, these are a couple of the songs that inspired me:Bottom of The River by Delta Rae (such a moody video...perfect for my book)Barton Hollow by The Civil Wars Sideways by Citizen CopeNEWS: Oh! Also, I'll be back here this Saturday (July 6th) to celebrate the lovely Lisa and Laura Roecker's new release THIS IS W.A.R. They're gonna share their playlist with us AND I'm GIVING AWAY A COPY, so please stop by!

could they *be* more gorgeous? <3 td="">3>

Okay, now it your turn! Tell me, what's up with YOU? Tell me All The Things!

I'm so glad you're joining us for Ready. Set. Write!, Lola! And I'm so intrigued by what you shared about your writing. I prefer upper YA, and I love magical realism -- you should share an excerpt one of these days. Oh, and I'm totally feeling your mama pain. My daughter's only a first grader, but I'm already all weepy about her growing up. Can't we please freeze time?!

Great to see you in blogland, Lola! I love how you love music as much (or more) than I do! :) I've been submitting picture books this week to publishers. Also will start a new PB in the next few weeks. But like you, taking a break for the 4th of July weekend. We always celebrate it with lots of family! Have a great one! (and I'm going to have to click on those drinks!)

Jaime---Yes, the backwards structure has been far more complicated than I imagined. But I like to challenge myself. Thanks for making WuW, etc., it's really a motivator for me to get back to this here bloggity blog. <3

Kelly--I'm making some of the drinks TONIGHT. I bought all the ingredients. Festive booze is my favorite. :)

Yay!!! Love to see you back here!You know most of the stuff going on with me. Revising still (steadily. It's just a long book) and going to a class (i don't really like it) and excitedly waiting to start the MFA (not until January. Poo)

I, too, have a SNI! An atmospheric murder mystery. Like snow falling on cedars meets splash. Except substitute mermaids with shark people. It came to me almost fully formed in a dream and I'm ridiculously excited about it.

I've been curious about Snow Child, and I love fairy tale retellings! (And yes, lovely cover!) I may have to bump it up a little higher on the TBR list. Your WIPs sound very interesting & ambitious! Backwards telling? What? I'm also very curious about this SNI now. I'm a pantser too and often start off a story with just an idea or character or like your SNI with one very specific scene. Good luck!

OMG, your daughter is going to be a senior?! I had so much fun my senior year of high school, so I hope she does too. CHERISH IT! Also, what other colleges is she looking at? (I will always talk up my own given the opportunity. I bleed blue. ;) )

Lastly, YAY for LiLa! I'm pretty excited for their newest book. Love the concept and the cover art!

Welcome back to blogging! I’ve neglected it too. And thought WUW and Ready Set Write was the perfect way to have at least one weekly posting about a few different topics AND keep up with weekly writing!! :D Yay for non plotters. I get ideas, and I’ll jot them down, but they don’t go in order. Good luck on SNI & revising!!!

Your "backwards" Southern Gothic story sounds so interesting! I'm glad you decided to join us for RSW. I think you're the first person who's said they needed it for blogging accountability. Why not? Especially if you're writing everyday anyway!

Hi Lola! My WIP has a sort of magical realism feel to it, also - it's been really fun to write. Glad that you've joined in with Ready Set Write - such a fun group and so nice to have cheerleaders! Best of luck with your writing goals this week and enjoy your weekend!

And a daughter that's a senior in HS? I think that's pretty awesome - she's a built-in beta reader, right? :) Enjoy every moment...even if they do fly right by!

Best of luck with both of the projects you're working on - it's tough to tackle revisions on one story, let alone TWO! But I've found everyone that's participating in RSW have been so amazing - just the encouragement that's needed!

I hope you have a wonderful Friday / weekend - and it really is great to see you back around these parts again!

May your pen be mighty

About Me

Lola Sharp

My name is Lola. (I'm not a showgirl) Yes, L-O-L-A Lola. It's the least of my worries. Let's move on, shall we?
This blog is mostly about my misadventures on the journey to publication and beyond. My passion for lush prose, quirky characters, art, music, literature, performing arts and anything creative will be a major theme here. This journey of mine will not always be pretty. Much like rubbernecking a train wreck, I know sometimes you just can't help but look at the carnage that is often my life. So strap on your neck brace, helmet and 5-point harness and come along for the ride!
Licentia poetica.